Tell me a Story
by Tudykulous
Summary: Someone on Serenity is having a hard time sleeping maybe a story can help. Most characters belong to Joss Whedon I just play with them.
1. Chapter 1

River Story telling, Zoë/Wash babyfic

Part 1: Celestial Princess

It was 6:00 a.m. ship time and everyone was sleeping, well almost everyone. River was worried about Simon he had been on Serenity for a while and was starting to get use to it.

"Mawl(Mal)?" a small voice whispers from the side of the table.

"What do you want Lissa?" Mal answered. A small laugh answers him and he was sure that it was not Lissa's. "Sorry Avery." Avery was Zoe and Wash 's youngest little girl and even though she was maybe two minutes younger than her identical twin, Lissa, everyone still considered Avery to be the baby.

"I ain't tired and my momma and dada told me to leaf(leave) them awone(alone) the wast(last) time I bofered(bothered) them and..."

"Hey slow down little one. River is probably awake so if you need to go talk to someone go talk to her she will probably tell you another one of those stories. Ok" Mal had a little one of his own and she had a hard time talkin' at one point but he had no clue how to understand Avery. She talked so fast and had a hard time with her l's t's and r's. So sometimes her sentences sounded a lot different then what they were supposed to be. And Mal had a hard time talkin' to little kids anyway.

"Okie dokie!"

The little girl ran right to the passenger dorm and into the room that River slept in.

River was awake just like her Mal had informed Avery. But she was in her thinking mood and usually did not like to talk to anyone. She saw the little girl walk in and decided she was not going to get to think about Simon any more well until she told one of her stories again. So she picked the little girl up and carried her to the bridge where she could tell Avery's favorite story.

"Once upon a time," she would start, "there was a girl that wanted to be a Celestial Princess also known as princess of the stars."

"What was her name?" Questioned the now two little girls on the bridge.

"Her name was Zoe."

"Like momma's name!" Shouted Lissa while Avery was still listening intently.

"Shhhhhh!" Hissed Avery, "you'll wake evewyone up. And I want to hear the west of the story!"

"Don't worry you already woke **everyone** up!" Lissa yelled at her sister.

"Girls stop...Please." Said a tired voice coming from the stairway. Both girls turned to see Wash, Their father standing there." River can you please finish the story so I can get the girls their breakfast."

"Yeah sure no problem Wash, as long as they stay quiet."

"WE PROMISE WE WON'T INTERUPT ANY MORE!" Both girls said with those watery big blue eyes, quivering lip, and wobbling chin that nobody could say no to.

"Ok where was I," she began again as Wash took a seat next to his daughters, "oh I remember... her name was Zoe and she loved everything about space every single thing. But one day her Life changed because her parents died in an accident that she would never forget." She paused there to see Wash also listening intently." It was her fault that they died nobody had told her what bad things people would do to get what they want and these people wanted her. Her parents fought and fought but overall the others won the battle. They killed her parents right in front of her and that is when she swore never to be in space again. Years later she found herself in a war against the people who killed her parents, the Alliance!" She paused again there to see Kaylee walk in.

"What's everyone doin' up here"

"SHHHHHHHHHH!" Both toddlers hiss.

"Sorry, just wanted to know who was cooking breakfast." She apologized. "God they're so demandin' but cute." she said under her breath

"Kaylee you and Shepard are the only decent chefs around here." replied Wash not exactly knowing what the last part she said was.

"Daddy be quiet I want to hear the story!" Lissa demanded.

"You are definitely your mothers daughter! So demanding" Zoe just happened to walk in at the right time "and beautiful." Wash added quickly.

"Momma dada won't be quiet and let us wisten to the west of wivers stowry." Avery started to whine. This was the time of day when she was really tired.

"Is that right." Zoe said in an amusingly. Pulling her daughter on to her lap.

"Well my story is going to be finished later, ok!"

"BUT WIVER" Avery continued to whine and she started to kick and hit her mother who lifted her up and placed her on the floor.

"Hey Avery, want some cookies" A voice yelled from the kitchen

"COOKIES!" Avery yelled immediately cheerful ran strait to the source of the yell." Thank you Jayne." As her voice started to fade

"Thanks Jayne," Zoe growled through her teeth "you get her tonight Wash."

" Awwwwww Man. " Wash whines and stomps his feet mockingly.


	2. Chapter 2

Zoe/Wash babyfic, Inara/Mal babyfic

Part 2: Night scares and cookies

"Daddy, daddy," a quiet whimper pulled Wash out of his sleep

"Daddy."

"Sweetie what's wrong?" Wash asks as he pulls his daughter into his arm and wipes the tears away from her face.

"I need to go potty." She said and Wash took her to the bathroom. When she was done he laid her back down in her small bed and kissed her good night.

"(I hate potty training)" He whispered to himself and he didn't notice Zoe was awake.

"What was that about? Why was Lissa cryin'? Is she alright?" Zoe was always like this when it came to her little ones.

"She's fine she just had to go potty." Wash replied. "I hate potty training"

"At least when it's over you won't have to change any dippers any more"

"But what if one has an accident then we will have to change the sheets and give them another bath."

"DADA, DADA!" Screams little Avery. She woke up Lissa again too.

"What's wrong?" Wash says running over to his daughter's bed as Zoe goes to get Lissa before she starts to cry.

"They tried to get me they were mean and scary and they had sharp pointy thing and, and"

"Calm down sweetie pie it was just a dream" Wash tried to calm his daughter but the crying and screaming continued.

" Wash take Lissa I'll get Avery." Zoe said to Wash calmly and they switched places.

"Hush little baby don't say a word, momma's gonna buy you a mocking bird," Zoe started to rock Avery and the crying started to go to a faint whimper. Wash kept rocking Lissa as Zoe sang, "and if that mocking bird don't sing, mamas going to buy you a diamond ring, and if that diamond ring don't shine." Zoe looked down to see that her daughter was fast asleep." Perfect timin' cause I don't know the rest of the song," she whispered to Wash who was laying Lissa back down again.

"She has been having those night scares a lot lately hasn't she Zo," Wash said, "I mean she woke up yesterday in the middle of her nap sayin' that monsters were tryin' to hurt her."

" Wash, why didn't you tell me about that one"

"Because I didn't think it was that bad, I mean Zoe she calmed down right away and went back to bed."

"Ok, but next time she has one of these and I'm on a job please tell me when I get back." Wash agreed and they went back to bed.

"Who was screaming last night it scared the wits out of me." Mal said as everyone was sitting down to breakfast.

"Did Avery have a bad dream again?" Questioned Kaylee. Zoe gave Wash her so-everyone-but-me-knows look.

"Yes she did and it was worse than yesterdays."

"Dada," Avery whimpers and slowly walks over to her father.

"Hey Avery," Simon says cautiously

"What"

"Look over there, at the big flower on the wall." Everyone is curious why he is doing this.

"What big flower? Why?" Questioned Avery

"Because you are going to throw up and I don't want it on me." At that moment everyone noticed how close together he was to her.

"But I ain't going to" Avery stops mid sentence and throws up all over the floor

"THATS GROSS" Yells Lissa from behind her mother.

"Simon how did you know she was going to through up."

"She was the only one who ate the cookies besides Kaylee, Inara, and Izzy and they ended up getting sick last night." Izzy looked up at her mother (Inara) and put her head back down

"Those cookies were not good **at all**!" Izzy said as she went from her mothers lap over to her fathers lap. "Who made them?" Everyone look at Jayne.

"Hey I thought they tasted good!" Jayne protested.

"That is because you have a strong stomach. Idiot" River said as she walked in.


	3. Chapter 3

"Wiver, can you pwease finish the story "Avery asked River with her big watery blue eyes again.

"Yes I will finish it but you have to go get your sister first."

"Okie dokie, Wiver." Zoe looked down at her daughter as she came into the room.

"What was that all about?" Zoe asked River looking mighty confused.

"Oh she wants me to finish the story"

"Can I listen" Issy asked looking from Zoe to River.

"I don't care," answered Zoe, "it's not a story 'bout me." River glanced up "Is it?"

"Well sort of not really" River replied

Both Avery and Lissa run into the room with Wash closely following them.

"Now where was I" River questioned the three girls sitting in front of her. Avery giggled.

"The start of the wawr" Avery answered, Zoe looked at Wash who was laughing at the four girls that sat in front of him.

"Oh yes I remember now," she paused," the war was terrible and lots of people died but there has to be a reason for why she volunteered after all most people were forced into it. But her reason was simple she didn't want to see her brother Jake or her sister Avery again."

"Hey that's my name!" Exclaimed little Avery.

"That's why you chose Avery over Alison" Wash whispered to his wife.

"Yes it is," she answered back.

"Well so at the end of the war when she was still alive she was forced to go back and see her family again. But she had a friend from the war that was lookin' for a ship to fly so he could finally live his dream of being a Captain instead of a sergeant. And he found a firefly he named it Serenity and got Zoe to come see it." She paused for a brief second to catch her breath. "At first she didn't like the idea of Serenity but just like in the battle of Serenity she never leaved she just learned to live there."

"Yeah," all three girls yelled River got up and jokingly bowed "I wove that story Wiver." Avery finished for all three of them.


	4. Chapter 4

Scary monsters

"Wiver, Wiver the scary monsters they got me help me pwease." Avery whimpers from the hall.

"They don't have you your fine Avery go back to bed."

"What do you mean we don't have her cause we do" an unfamiliar voice said from the hall.

"River wake up its just a dream, WAKE UP!" river wakes up to Simon staring at her.

"Monsters they don't want me any more they want her they want her"

"Who her, one of the babies," Simon was so confused, "River who is her"

"Avery, they want Avery. Simon you have to stop them." River was almost in tears.

"No one is ever gona get their hands on that little girl without a fight. I promise. Ok"

"Hey Wiver" Avery walks in and sits next to River, "I'm hungry"

"Ok, why don't you ask" Simon mouths They are trying to sleep, "Oh, Ok then lets go get some breakfast."

"Thank you Wiver"

"Don't worry about it"

"Mornin' River" Mal says as he sits down next to Izzy and Inara. "Where's Wash and Zoe?"

"Their still asleep" Avery says with a big chocolaty grin.

"River what did you let her have to eat" Inara says looking at the chocolate all over the three year olds face.

"Her birthday present since she turned three I guess chocolate would be a good present."

"WHAT ABOUT MY PRESENT!" Lissa whines as she walks in to the galley.

"Oh here you go" River paces the chocolate bar to the little blond haired blue-eyed girl that just walked in.

" Thanks River just what they need more sugar."

"Oh Wash don't thank me Jayne's the one who bought it for them"

"It's always Jayne isn't it" Wash says looking down to his two chocolate-mouthed daughters.

"Yes it is just glad to be of some help but if"

"DADA, DADA MY HEAD IT HURTS IT HURTS" Avery screams and drops to the floor.

"Simon what wrong with her!" Mal says looking from the doc over to the screaming girl. Simon runs over to her and checks everything around her head.

"She seams to be fine"

"She wouldn't be screaming if she was"

"What is goin' on… Oh God is she alright." Kaylee just walked in to see what all the fuss was about.

"I WANT MOMMA, I WANT MOMMA!" The little girl continued to scream.

"Kaylee can you go get Zo, please!" Wash says holding his daughter close to him.

"Wash I'm right here what happened"

"I don't know she just started screaming. Zo I'm scared what if she"

" Wash don't say that! We ain't goin' to loose her."

The screaming girl was quiet Simon checked her pulse.

"It might not be that far from the truth as it seams."

"Simon she ain't de… you know is she" Jayne asked looking very worried.

"No not yet but she may not have very long I don't even know what's wrong with her."

"Monsters it's the monsters, that's why they want her she's different not normal."

"Simon what is she talkin' 'bout"

"River it was just a dream"

"No it wasn't, Simon she's dieing and you know it but it isn't one of those usual strange things that find their way on to Serenity. No it's something bigger"

"Momma, momma" the screaming child woke up again both her parents hugged her tightly, "my head hurts really bad."

"I know sweetie Simons gona make you feel better." Zoe replied to her daughter.

"Promise"

"Yes I promise I will make you feel better."

With that Wash carried the little girl into the infirmary and laid her down.

"Hey sweetie don't be scared ok."

"Momma I ain't scared the monsters can't hurt me here"

"What monsters?" River breaks in.

"They have blue hands and sharp pointy things that they stick into my head and they make me sleep and have bad dreams about Reavers and, and"

"Sweetie slow down, when did this happen?"

"Not mine there not my memories their hers." Avery says pointing to River.

"Told ya so" River says with a smirk on her face.

"What does she mean the memories ain't hers!"

"It means she's like River somehow… Simon how does that work out like that"

"I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW HOW RIVERS LIKE THAT WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I KNOW WHY SHE'S LIKE THAT!"

"Simon she's gettin' worse" Kaylee's chimes in followed by a small whimper.

"I know and I don't know how to make her better." Simon starts "I feel horrible I can't even help her."

"Simon you can help her you helped me" Jayne smirks as he listens to Rivers comment. "I'm getting better"

"No your not if anything your getting worse."

"Avery, are you awake" There was a long pause in between Wash's comment and her answer.

"Yes dada I'm awake, where's Lissy"

"I'm right here V"

"Wait Simon if your meds don't work on River think that they will work on Avery."

"They might, first I'm gona try a simple pain reliever that might work. Hey Avery can you open your mouth."

"Hey is for horses" Avery jokes as she opens her small mouth. As Simon puts the medicine in her mouth. She chokes it back.

"GROSS!"

"Sorry, feel any better?"

_**NO! But I don't want any more of that gross medicine.**_

"What was that?"

"Something that was not strong enough for River."

"Yes I feel better!" Everyone was relieved that she was feeling better.

"I think she'll be fine but just to be safe I'll check on her in an hour or so"

"Come on lets go open presents you two still have to have a party!"

"YEAH!" Lissa screams and Avery scrunches up her nose.

"When are we going to be on planet Wash?" Mal asks through the comm.

"A good twenty maybe thirty minutes, but then me Zo and the girls are going to go visit my parents."


	5. Chapter 5

Part 8 The Grandparents

"Jerry, when are they going to be here?"

"I don't know Dawn. He said that they just hit atmo when he waved a good hour ago." Jerry answered his wife just as a tap on the door started up and was joined by two quieter ones. "Does that answer you question?"

"Wash, Zoe, hi girls."

"Gramma, Grampa!" Avery yelled and then shook her head.

"Wash she really needs to work on her speech it is not doing very"

"Ma, calm down she has plenty of time to do that she just turned three yesterday."

"That's where she gets it from."

"She has my sense of humor too!"

"I can see" Dawn replies looking at her granddaughter on the floor laughing at Lissa.

"It's not funny Avery!" Lissa says to Avery with tears in her eyes.

"Avery be nice to Lissa" Zoe says to Avery trying not to smile herself. While Avery, who is still on the floor rolling with laughter gets up.

"Okie dokie momma." Avery says with a slight giggle. At that no one not even Lissa could hold a laugh back.

"So Mal when are they suppose to be back." Inara says looking up from the book she was reading to their four year old daughter who was now fast asleep.

"Ummmmmm, they said that if they were there to late not to expect them to be back until tomorrow around lunch time so we might have a lot of free"

"Hmmmmm" Inara said looking down at the girl curled up next to her.

"Well we could get Kaylee to watch her so we can go to a nice romantic dinner."

"Are you sure we can afford that."

"I have been savin' up."

"Oh you have any special occasion that you would be savin for."

"HA," Mal said a little too loudly and woke the sleeping girl. "I ain't the one forgettin' this year. Sorry Izzy."

"Forgot what?"

"Our anniversary!"

"Oh no I did forget I am so sorry honey." Inara said to her husband Mal.

"It's ok bao-bie its just pay back for last year and the year before and the year before and"

"Ok Mal I get it!"

"Mommy can you read me the story again."

"Why don't you have daddy read it this time ok I have to go make sure Jayne hasn't killed your older brother yet."

"YOU LEFT LIAM WITH JAYNE!" Mal looks at Inara and his daughter with a funny grin.

"Yes I did now try to get Izzy to go back to b-e-d." As Inara left she herd her daughter and husband rolling with laughter.

_**I wish this headache would just go AWAY!**_

"Hey Avery how you feelin' are you ok." Zoe asked looking down at her daughter messing with her food."

"Yep just not hungry." Avery said looking at her plate

"That's weird I swear you were the one complaining about being **starving** when we were in the shuttle." Wash said looking at his daughters as one had immediately grabbed her fork and started to eat while the other one sat there staring at the food on her plate.

"I ain't hungry anymore I guess."

"How 'bout one bite it can't hurt."

"Ok." Avery said cautiously as she picked up her fork and thought back to the day before.

"River wake up!" Liam was yelling in Rivers ear. "You are so hard to wake up." Just then River wakes up and starts to scream. "What's wrong River"

"Where's Wash !"

"He went to his parent's house to introduce the girls to them"

"When will he be back?"

"Tomorrow, why?"

_**He died and Zoe well didn't have kids and Mal and Inara weren't together and would never be together so they didn't have kids either and preacher died to all because the Reavers.**_

"River are you scared"

"Yes I am Liam, Where's your mom and dad?"

"Lookin' for me."

"Why? Are you in troubles again" he giggled

"No, I was supposed to stay by Jayne while my mommy read a book to Izzy and daddy went to go get food."

"And you didn't stay by Jayne."

"No he was a big scary monster."

"Liam, why are you bothering River?"

"Because Jayne was being a big scary monster and I was hidin' from him"

"Oh, very funny little man." Mal said as he walked into the room.

_**This taste really good and I want to eat but my head hurts a lot and I can't chew very well. I guess I can have Momma cut it into little itsy bitsy pieces for me and swallow them whole.**_

"How do you like it, V?"

"V?"

"It's a nickname given to her by her sister."

"Yes, I" She put her left hand on her forehead.

"Sweetie, are you sure your head still doesn't hurt from yesterday."

"Yes momma I'm fine my heads not hurt anymore."

"Ok, if it starts to hurt"

"I'll tell you, and I love it but I am not very hungry. Thank you." She was shocked her own self she had never said a whole sentence without messin' anything up before.

"Your Welcome. Wash your girls are very polite."

"Are you kiddin' me they're usually just like how I was at dinner I mean any time of the day."

"I have no clue where that came from you have definitely been hangin' around Simon to much."

"When are we going to go home?" She did it again. With a smile she left the table.

"V is acting very, very weird. Maybe she is like" Zoe and Wash both looked at her funny, "Jayne after all."

"Jayne, how'd you come up with Jayne?"

"What I was improvising."

"That's a weird way to improvise."

"I know they were rushin' me I didn't know what to say"

"At least you didn't say Wiver."

"Why not."

"Uh-Oh"

"Uh-Oh what"

"Forgot he didn't tell you yesterday."

"Tell us what?"

"Dada's gona be very unhappy at grampa"

"Avery why am I gona be very unhappy at grampa"

"Because he's alliance"

"WHAT!" Wash yells and scares the girls.

"DADA I told you would be unhappy." Avery whimpers

"Oh Avery I'm sorry I didn't mean to yell at you and I'm not mad at you, but how do you know that"

"He was thinking about it all through dinner he was also thinking about how if he got his hands on Simon and River he would turn them and get a weword and … Awwwwwww man I did it agawin."

"Did what again?"

"I didn't say my rrrr's right again those rrr's drive me crazy, he also said he was sorry 'bout lying to you 'bout Todd on how he's fine an' all… Who's Todd?"

"Wait Todd he was thinkin' about Todd?"

"Yes he was. He said that he was sorry for never tellin' you that he crashed and was stabbed by a Reaver ship… Hey you told me Reavers ain't real."

"HE WHAT!" Wash yelled as he was ridding the mule up the cargo bay ramp.

"He died… Wait whose Todd?"

"That's your brother right Wash?" Mal said rubbing Avery's hair.

"Yes he was by what Avery's over here is tellin' me."

"He died," River asked how

"He crashed and was stabbed by a Reaver ship"

"You told us Reavers were just some stupid bed time story that Jayne told us to scare us." Issy and Liam inform Mal and Inara in unison.

"They are Avery doesn't know what she's talkin' about and is goin' to go sit in her room and think about why she's makin' up all these stories." Zoe said lookin' down at her now very angry daughter.

"But I ain't makin' this up momma."

"Come on now."

"Awwwwww momma"

"Nope come on" Zoe let her blond haired blue-eyed daughter lead her to her room.

"Momma why did you make me go to my room I didn't do anythin' did I."

"No you didn't your just to smart for your own good."

"What?"

"Nothin'"

"Will just wait here for your dada to come back"

"CAN WE PLAY HIDE AN' SEEK!"

"Maybe later you still have to at least pretend you're in trouble ok."

"Okie dokie momma, but I'M BORED!"

"Then you should have kept your little mouth shut." Zoe laughed and pretended to be the tickle monster.

"Hey, what are you doin' down there you two" Wash said from the ladder.


End file.
